A CFL team called dibs on new Packers’ QB Kyron Drones

BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 26: Kyron Drones #1 of the Virginia Tech Hokies after a touchdown during the second half of the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Lane Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan Hunt/Getty Images) | Getty Images Back on January 28th, the Montreal Alouettes added Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones to their negotiation list , which is the process that the Canadian Football League has to allocate American players to its teams. For those unaware, each CFL team can place up to 45 players on their negotiation list, giving them “dibs” on these players if they ever become available to sign in the league.

These lists had always been behind the scenes until July of 2025, when the league finally made negotiation lists fully public for the first time. The CFL minimum is $70,000 (Canadian), roughly $50,000 USD. For perspective, the NFL minimum is $885,000 (for a full season) and practice squad players make $247,500 over 18 weeks.

In the UFL, players make $64,000 for a 10-game season. So it doesn’t make sense for Drones to head up north anytime soon, after he signed an undrafted rookie contract with the Green Bay Packers over the weekend . If he ever does, though, his first stop will be in Montreal.

Interestingly, a good amount of the Packers’ pre-draft visitors this cycle were on CFL negotiation lists. Green Bay leaned into undrafted free agent recruiting with its 30 visits this cycle, but many of these projected UDFAs ended up getting drafted on Day 3. This was the case for Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton (Calgary), East Carolina receiver Anthony Smith (Montreal), Washington defensive tackle Anterior Thompson (Winnipeg) and Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty (Winnipeg).